Marcus Rashford rallied a response to his critics upon his return to English soil with a brilliant brace for Barcelona in a 2-1 defeat of Newcastle United.
This game will spark talk of a revival, but the goals only highlight the skills of the "talented" and "fantastic" forward Hansi Flick always saw.
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‘This was the first step’
The talismanic figure for the Blaugrana, Lamine Yamal, had suffered from pain in his pubic bone after playing on painkillers for Spain in a pair of World Cup qualifiers. He did not make the trip to Tyneside, and many looked to Robert Lewandowski or Raphinha to be the difference maker.
Rashford steps up on Tyneside
In the end, that role went to a familiar figure on English shores. Rashford started as a left winger, while Raphinha went to the right, and he exploded in the second half. First came a headed effort inside the box to break the deadlock, and then a ferocious strike from range that flew past Nick Pope.
“I'm not surprised. I said I think he's a fantastic player, a talented player. His skills are unbelievable. His finishing is unbelievable. I said in the half time I said to him, please score two goals! No, it was not like that. Was not like that.”
The first half did not work out as planned for the 27-year-old, but Flick kept urging him to try. Once the first goal flew into the net, Rashford rode the crest of a wave and crashed home his second strike.
“In the first half, he tried to create great chances. He had good dribbles and but the finishing was not right. The second half was different. For a striker for it's always good to score goals and to finish it.”
A confidence player finds his flow
Some have labelled the Englishman a 'confidence player' who thrives on a flow state when he is in good form and gets in his head too much when times are tougher. What is certain is that goals give any attacker a boost, and the manager hopes that this display drives him to be even better for the team.
“This was the first step, the first step and he has to make the next one because this match these two goals here in England against Newcastle for Barcelona in the first Champions League match in this season is really great and it gives him the confidence belief in himself and for me this is the most important thing that he knows okay and he show it also on the pitch that he's a fantastic player.”
